As part of a statewide initiative to improve care for traumatized
youth, AR BEST is integrating the latest research with state-of-the-art training
for mental health professionals. A multidisciplinary collaboration between the
UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute and the Department of Pediatrics, AR BEST
will promote excellence in care for children and adolescents experiencing
physical or sexual abuse.

Training Model

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an effective mental
health treatment for youth who have experienced trauma, including sexual and
physical abuse. Because it has demonstrated success in reducing symptoms
in children and adolescents and improves coping mechanisms of parents, a
statewide dissemination of this intervention has been initiated by the AR BEST
program.

Training for mental health clinicians in TF-CBT will occur in
stages:

Stage 1: Free on-line training in TF-CBT for
mental health clinicians through the Medical University of South Carolina (http://tfcbt.musc.edu/).
Modules can be accessed any time; ten continuing education credits are awarded
at completion.

Stage 3: Ongoing teleconferences with Dr.
Mannarino and other TF-CBT experts twice monthly for six months.

Stage 4: On-line assessments and treatment
checklists are completed. A report is generated regarding the child's
mental health status at baseline; the treatment checklist will be used during
the teleconference sessions to monitor clinician progress in TF-CBT
implementation.

Stage 5: The clinician receives a Certificate of
Completion after six months and is identified as someone who has received
training in the TF-CBT evidence-based model.